skepticlysm

Tag: recipes

  • You’re Not You When

    You’re Not You When

    • Where the hell was I?
    • Looking at a blank black page.
    • Because I roll Dark Mode on all things.
    • Sure, it makes the Mumford song not work.
    • Mostly.
    • “A blank black page and a swelling rage …”
    • I do not have a swelling rage today.
    • So far.
    • And it’s late afternoon, so it might not happen at all.
    • …
    • I’m kidding, of course.
    • Can you imagine being angry all the time?
    • Oof.
    • Today’s a writer’s block day.
    • Had appointments until now.
    • Opened the Word doc and … nada.
    • 88 words.
    • That’s what I’ve gotten in 30 minutes.
    • Usually, I can write one of these in 30 minutes.
    • Not today.
    • This happens.
    • To anyone who writes.
    • I should be doing other writing anyway.
    • Like the other day, I found a burned wooden match.
    • Sharpened to a point.
    • My brain literally thought of fairies killing vampires.
    • Which I said out loud.
    • The Kid wrote it down in her notebook.
    • Would make for a killer short story.
    • (heh)
    • I may write it.
    • Though it has been difficult for me to write fiction that’s not the Book.
    • Like being unfaithful.
    • Cheating.
    • Weird, right?
    • A different kind of procrastination.
    • The women are watching “Ginny and Georgia.”
    • Like a dummy, I’m sitting in the room trying to write and not watch.
    • Upping the difficulty factor.
    • Challenge: Accepted!
    • Yesterday, we had this conversation about “Gilmore Girls.”
    • They told me I hadn’t watched it.
    • I was in the room while they watched.
    • Of course I had.
    • No, I don’t remember all of it, but they watched that show for what felt like months.
    • Stars Hollow.
    • Would live there, right?
    • So we’re another 30 minutes down the road.
    • I cannot have things with narrative playing while I’m trying to write.
    • It’s why I don’t listen to podcasts.
    • When would I do that?
    • I’d have to cut into music time on the commute.
    • And then there’s the audiobook vs. podcasts thing.
    • Rather listen to a book, pulled into a story, or someone interview another person, or people talk about a topic they’re interested in?
    • I like the idea of both.
    • I do.
    • Tick tock, though.
    • I’ve tried to do the audio book thing.
    • Success in that area depends on the reader.
    • Like, “The Lies of Locke Lamora.”
    • Bought the audiobook to listen to on a road trip.
    • I wanted the women to listen because that’s one of my favorite books.
    • Didn’t make it one chapter.
    • Could not stand the guy’s voice.
    • Tried listening to one of Stephen King’s books on one of the Mayo trips.
    • Narrator did a good job, but the story …
    • Different problem, right?
    • Podcasts … I’d probably be all-in on those, but again, I can’t write worth a damn if I’m paying attention to people talking.
    • I have watched a handful of Hot Ones.
    • Always makes me want wings.
    • Not that I need an excuse to want wings.
    • Especially not when I know how to make those in the air fryer.
    • So good.
    • Steph likes them but does not like act of pseudo-cannibalism you go through when you eat them.
    • I’d rather not eat them in public.
    • Okay, that’s false.
    • I don’t care.
    • Good wings are good wings, man.
    • And it’s the same messy experience you get eating ribs.
    • (Go to Oakhart and eat the ribs. OMG.)
    • Anyway.
    • Wings.
    • It is approaching dinner time.
    • Made fajitas on the griddle last night.
    • Thanks to Pryor, I can finally make decent fajitas.
    • I need to try his guac recipe.
    • But not tonight.
    • I may stay on theme and make Burriladas.
    • We used to order those at El Tap in Stillwater, which sat less than 200 yards from our front door.
    • Do you know what it’s like to stick a Mexican restaurant that close to people addicted to that food?
    • At least it was “cheap” and we exercised a lot.
    • Burriladas … chicken and onions inside flour tortillas and smothered in queso.
    • You can use a grocery store rotisserie chicken for them if you want to make them super easy.
    • The Queso is the magic ingredient.
    • Usually, I pick up a large queso from a restaurant when I do this.
    • Another thing I haven’t mastered yet.
    • Queso from a Mexican place is a level up from the Velveeta nonsense we all eat on Super Bowl Sunday.
    • Not the same ballpark.
    • “Not even the same fucking league.”
    • I’m not even making fun of Crock Pot cheese dip.
    • Who does that?
    • That may be my Xmas dinner theme this year.
    • Table full of chips and dips.
    • I do traditional at Thanksgiving, so when Xmas rolls around, I try to do something different.
    • Did a fantasy theme based on recipes from the D&D cookbook.
    • Did birria tacos one year.
    • Last year, we did a giant beef tenderloin, which was magical.
    • Always used to do chili on Xmas Eve.
    • Chicken chili.
    • Got burnt out on cooking that, even though refined my recipe over a decade.
    • Have done soups for parties.
    • The last time I did the beef stew from the D&D cookbook.
    • Messed up and did not get stew meat.
    • Bought stir fry beef instead.
    • I’ll never use anything else.
    • Did the Butternut Squash soup with it (which is magical).
    • Okay, now we know writing something when you’re hungry bears the same warnings as going to the grocery store when you’re hungry.
    • (We just slipped into a Snickers commercial.)
    • (Also what happens when you start typing when there’s a show on.)
    • Hope you have something great for dinner.
    • We’re probably having cereal.

  • Knowing is Half the Battle

    Knowing is Half the Battle

    • You ever seen Tag?
    • The one with Jeremy Renner and John Hamm where the group of friends has been playing the same game of tag since they were kids?
    • It’s one of the Teenager’s favorite movies.
    • We had to buy it on Prime Video and at some point, I’ll probably have to get the blu-ray.
    • It’s a rewatcher.
    • Today, she’s using Jay as an excuse to rewatch.
    • He’s in town entertaining me during the convalescence.
    • And conveniently he has never seen Tag.
    • Funny movie.
    • I don’t collect comedies or anything.
    • This might be the only one we own.
    • Because, you know, I hate laughing.
    • Or something.
    • Pretty cool to have friends who’ll take time to come check on you, you know?
    • May you all have such people in your lives.
    • But for real, a 30-year game of tag seems like something my crew would do.
    • We didn’t.
    • But we could have …
    • When we go to Hideaway Pizza, I usually get one of three pizzas:
    • 1) Pepperoni (or Pepperpolooza) (however the hell it’s spelled)
    • 2) Supreme (but without fungus or olives)
    • 3) The Boz
    • Now, as a double-degree holder from OSU, it rankles me to like anything named after someone who played at OU, and in particular that guy.
    • But it’s damn good.
    • Sausage, pepperoni, bacon, onions, red peppers, jalapenos … it’s delicious.
    • Obviously, I’m probably leaving something out.
    • Craptacular memory, remember?
    • But I typically get the homestyle crust at Hideaway, which is odd because I’m a thin crust guy.
    • I don’t know why I don’t do thin at Hideaway.
    • I attribute it to eating at the original location in Stillwater all those years.
    • I’m not sure they even offered thin crust.
    • Fried cheese, yes.
    • Because that sauce … so good.
    • Kaia always gets the kid pizza (sausage, sans sauce; who does that?), and it’s a thin crust.
    • I always eat her leftover crust, and honestly, it’s better.
    • I don’t know what I’ve been thinking.
    • I mentioned this to Mark (brother-in-law), and he did field testing because he is also a fan of the Boz.
    • Suspicions have been confirmed: it’s better on thin.
    • I trust his taste. We’re in lockstep 95 percent of the time.
    • Now I know.
    • And knowing is half the battle.
    • G.I. JOOOOOOOOEEEEEE.
    • Hasbro has this whole department dedicated to remaking all the cool G.I. Joe toys from our youth and then selling them at a premium.
    • I’m on the email list.
    • I see them.
    • And the temptation is there.
    • I don’t.
    • Obviously.
    • But what the hell, man?
    • They’re aimed squarely at us GenX kids who grew up hunting each other with toy guns in the woods and playing with all the G.I. Joe stuff.
    • Toys … for adults.
    • Not unlike what Lego does, really.
    • I’m sure there are firms with terabytes of data on consumers and what kinds of things appeal to everyone of every demographic.
    • GenX kids are eternally … kids.
    • Part of me still wants some of that stuff.
    • Don’t need it, but the want is there.
    • When Steph gave me Kali lessons for my 37th birthday, I attended my first lesson and the whole time I stood there wide-eyed thinking, “I can actually learn all this ninja weapons stuff?”
    • Felt like a little kid all over again.
    • And then I did learn all those ninja skills.
    • Part of me is eternally 12, is what I’m saying.
    • Before I got into comics proper, Snake Eyes held the spot for my favorite character.
    • Basically a mute, ninja commando.
    • The second version of his action figure ran in limited amounts.
    • I did not know they did that kind of thing, back in the day.
    • Now, it’s a typical marketing tactic.
    • False limited availability.
    • I’d beg mom to take me to Toys R Us to look for him.
    • While there, I’d dig through every figure on the rack.
    • About the fifth or sixth time, I found him.
    • I think I literally yelled, “I found him!”
    • He came with a sword and a wolf.
    • Rad.
    • My friend Francis had joined us on that trip.
    • We found one for him, too.
    • The only two in the whole store.
    • Yahtzee!
    • I wrote part of a list yesterday, in the evening, but I did not end up liking a lot of it
    • Missed a day.
    • Hate missing a day in a routine.
    • What’s all that stuff about establishing a habit?
    • 21 days?
    • I dunno.
    • All about your …
    • I’m literally not paying attention to what I’m doing.
    • Watching a movie.
    • Mentally floating.
    • And miles to go before I sleep.
    • Today’s earworm, Anthrax’s cover of “Antisocial.”
    • The band who wrote it, Trust, was French if I’m remembering correctly.
    • No, I didn’t google any of that.
    • The AI search bot would probably have lied about it anyway.
    • Lies!
    • All Lies!
    • Ah, well, they can’t all be homeruns, right?
    • I’ll see you over the weekend, probably.